As a budget traveller, I wouldn’t dare to dream about traveling business class (I though I did it once in 2012, interestingly business class was cheaper than economy class for that date!), or to pay to use airport lounge.
A Backpacker in An Airport Lounge… Why?
It’s because my credit card benefits includes free membership to Priority Pass
What’s Priority Pass?
It’s a global membership for lounge access, you pay certain fee and you get to use airport lounges for free or discounted rate.
They collaborate with so many airports and 950+ lounges, that if you are frequent traveller, it might be worthwhile to join them.
My credit card gives me free membership, but I need to use my ‘points’ to exchange for a visit. So… that’s why I must choose ‘wisely’ which airport lounge promises a luxurious lounge experience. Actually I got my credit card in 2014, and this is the first time I ever used it to enter an airport lounge! (I will have the opportunity to try 2 more lounges with my current points:D)
(I don’t want to put too much emphasis on which credit card give you more advantages, because my readers come from many countries and I bet your credit card company probably give more incentives than my miserable Asian card companies….)
As I was traveling through Amsterdam, this seemed like a good chance to use it! (Last year I travelled from Oslo, but Priority Pass didn’t have any partner there.) Amsterdam’s Schiphol seems like a good enough airport..!
My Aspire Lounge Experience…?
Hmm… I wasn’t satisfied for the following reasons
- It was over crowded, like of like a rich people’s refuge (still, a refuge). Every sofa was taken, and every table had to be shared.
- No entertainment. (There was no TV, no laptop area, no magazines..)
- Slow internet.
- No shower facility.
But what really upset me the most was
- Poor selection of refreshment (and poor quality)
As you can see, a few items were scarcely spreader on this table. Alcohol and juice are placed in the fridge in behind. A coffee machine and some snacks… That’s it ?! Yeah!
So here’s what I had…. (really, I was glad that I didn’t pay extra to bring a guest inside.) Some salad, chopped veggies, snacks, butter (is that even counted as an item?)
Bread, cheese, and this horrible soup (it tasted like instant noodles…)
The only thing that made me happy was coffee!! It was good! And I thoroughly enjoyed my last pieces of Stroopwafel and my last moment in Netherlands !
In Summary
I regretted spending one of my three chances on this airport lounge. But well, from the website it looked so pretty to me…
Let me know if this info was useful to you! And if anybody can recommend a positive experience with Priority Pass lounge, please let me know too! 🙂
Traveling Mega
